Being a Bing Crosby fan I decided to give Crooner a go, and I must say, Bing had fantastic taste. Crooner has a base of dark burley tobacco which provides a silky, oak and nut flavor to the smoke. The burley alone would make for a fantastic blend but the addition of deer tongue brings this blend into a whole nother dimension. The dark woodsy burleys are sharply contrasted by sweet, floral notes provided by the deer tongue making for a complex, interesting smoke. Deer tongue blends tend to lean toward the love or hate area and this is a definite for Crooner. Personally, I am 100% on the love team. However, I can see why others would not enjoy Crooner. The burleys are very strong, leaning toward harsh while the deer tongue adds a flavor not often found in the tobacco world. Crooner is a blend for those who seek out bold, unique, adventurous flavors and who are not afraid of a bit of a nicotine hit. I urge everyone to try Crooner at least once. You'll either love it or hate it. No in between on this one.

Definitely a long time favorite. A friend had this blend for a a couple months, and it always kept me interested. It lasted for a while and the room note is still one of the best.

So I had to try it. First time round the strength seemed a little high, but after a while I very much enjoyed it. It turned into almost a daily smoke. Flavor wise it is a strong burley, but its the deer tounge that's different. People look for a vanilla and mint taste but I would say more of a light floral flavor.

The room note is nothing I have smelt before. The wife loves it and can always distinguish it. Can't really describe it however, something you need to experience yourself.

I could go on for hours, but in the end it's a gorgeous smoke and I have the up most respect for both the blender and the man who created it.

I just can't handle this. I tried it because I'm a Bing Crosby fan, but this blend should have been buried with him. I had the worst reaction I ever had to tobacco since I started smoking. The floral notes overwhelmed any chance of tasting mint or vanilla or burley. The smell just about drove my wife and friends out of the house when I tried it. It got more complaints from innocent bystanders than anything I have ever smoked. I couldn't finish the bowl I was smoking (a first for me), and now I have to figure out what tobacco will deghost the pipe I tried it in. Obviously, deer tongue is not for me. It's the most disappointing blend I've tried in 40 years of smoking.

Wow! What a blend! This is my first time to try deer tongue. In the pouch it is fragrant. The deer tongue (I suppose) has a pouch aroma similar to flowers, mint, herbs and a little vanilla combined. After lighting, it has very full and fresh flavor! It has a "burst in your mouth" kind of feel. I can taste the minty, herby, floral essence of the spice used. The room note is just similar to good pipe tobacco. The aroma is just pleasant burley (to me). The nicotine hit is strong! Perhaps from the burley. I smoked this in a medium billiard. It smokes cool and has no tongue bite. But it does make my tongue feel "numb" a bit, as if an anesthetic was applied to it. It's a good smoke to try in the evenings after dinner. Totally different experience. You must try it and judge for yourself.

A cube cut mix of mostly dark burleys with a fair proportion of light green deer tongue. Pouch note is strongly of the deer tongue which is reminiscent of wet hay, oregano, green tea and vanilla. There seems to be some kind of alcohol topping but I do not say this with any confidence.

My tobacco arrived tinder dry and burned easily without preparation.

This is an uncomplicated burley that has no bitterness of any kind. The deer tongue is dominant throughout. I found this made my mouth tender, tho nothing like tongue bite, and as such I would describe it as astringent. I quite enjoyed the fragrance.

This tobacco is quite hefty nicotine wise and the complete experience is on the intense side. Would suit an after breakfast smoke to kick start your day.

Old Crooner presumable replicates a private recipe used by Bing Crosby; it probably does, but Der Bingle did not smoke a single blend. What we have here is a cube cut burley laced with a significant amount of deer tongue.

Cube cut burley: anathema to burley haters, but not to others. The cube cut burns cool. At least in does if you can get a good light, which is not easy. Also any vigorous puffing intended to get or keep a good light can propel a lighted coal onto your clothes and burn a hole therein. Still, for those who enjoy burley, that part of the flavor here is fine.

Deer tongue biologically is a kind of wild vanilla native to the Southern Appalachians. Unlike the "real" vanilla, often from Mexico, used to produce vanilla extract, deer tongue has a less sweet, more flowery taste, and for some even a hint of mint.

Deer tongue, as with tonquin, provides a taste that engenders love it or hate it reactions. In days of yore, deer tongue was often used as a condiment, barely sprinkled in pipe mixtures. That way, many smokers did not even identify its flavor. But where the deer tongue provides a clear cut taste, the reaction of smokers varies sharply. Incidentally, deer tongue like tonquin (which comes from tonka beans, a totally different biological species) contains trace amounts of coumarin which in amounts astronomically more than you could get it a pipe is used medically as a blood thinner.

So how do I rate Old Crooner? I now hereby contadict my observation that it is a love it or hate it blend. I have purchased it twice. On both occasions I have enjoyed it-- as a change of pace. I had no yen to smoke it daily, however. So, neither loving nor hating Old Crooner, I award it a weak two stars.

C&D has more blends that stars in the sky it seems. I have smoked quite a few and have enjoyed most overall. To say that I didn't enjoy this one is putting it mildly. After three bowls, I threw the rest in the garbage. I LIKE deer's tongue. The Tinder Box used it very effectively in its '70s rendition of Special. The problem with "Crooner" is that there is WAY too much deer tongue in it. I think I could smoke grass clippings and have a better experience. I think deer's tongue is a hard thing to get just right. In Crooner, it overwhelms the senses. That said, if you want to try a blend with it, try C&D's own "Gentleman Caller." They get the mix just right in it. Better luck next time, Craig.

I know from personal experience that this IS a replica of the tobacco Bing Crosby smoked and I have enjoyed it non-exclusively for many years. It's a burley lovers dream with just a little KICK from the added deers tongue.

They say this is a love it or hate it blend, I am in the love it category. I really enjoy the contribution of the deertongue, slightly floral/sweet, it seems to lighten up what could be a heavier cubecut burley blend. More enjoyed in a cob than briars myself, I seemed to get a lot of condensation when smoked in a briar, which is unfortunate because I got a Hilson panel pipe because I was inspired by Bing's panel pipe in the movie Holiday Inn. I have since found that this blend smokes very well in a briar widetop bowl. At least give it a try, if the deertongue is too much for you then maybe try diluting it with some other cubecut burley such as SWR.

Having never tried a blend with deer tongue, I chose this one as my intro. I think I got lucky. I love this stuff. The Burley is top notch. Earthy and nutty. The DT adds notes of herbs and definitely vanilla. It also gives this a nice freshness that I can see some interpreting as minty. There's also a nice sweetness in the mix. Medium in body and flavor. Can't get enough of this wonderful blend.

One last thing. This blend expands like crazy. I found it best to gravity feed and fill only to the 3/4 mark of the bowl. Otherwise the ashes are spilling out all over the place. Happy smoking.

Just got this in a shipment along with some other CD blends. I am a fan of CD blends, but Crooner had never been on the list before.

What a loss. This has to be one of the finest blends I have ever had in my 10-year piping career. Not as long as some, and I can't claim to have encountered as many blends as others on this forum, but I have to say that Crooner is one of those blends that calls out "Here I am, you found me"; we recognise the flavour as something we have been searching for, but could never really describe.

Outstanding burley taste, more like Sir Walter Raleigh than the usual CD burley (dark, strong, and rather angry); slight deer tongue flavour, but not much. A kind of herbal overtone to the burley in the bag, and in the smoke, making it a slightly aromatic, but an unsweetened aromatic.

The only drawback is keeping it lit. Other than that, a superb example of what can be done with burley. I would call it the closest that CD comes to an OTC. Fantastic in every respect.

This was an epiphanal blend for me upon smoking the first few bowls. A nice vanilla taste without casing - how cool is that??!? The deertongue flavor remains throughout the smoke, although it becomes more subtle as you get down to the last 1/3 bowl where it becomes more of that nutty burley flavor.

Crooner is a high quality tobacco. My rating is less about if I would recommend it than how it hit me. What happened is that after the first 4 or so bowl, the deertongue flavor wore me out. I don't know why or how. Perhaps I'm just not used to it.

Two stars for how I liked it; four stars for recommending it as something everyone should try once. But for God's sake, give it a dedicated pipe! The flavor is hard to remove from a briar pipe.

Absolute uniqueness. Tasty, naturally sweet, hints of vanilla and a far departure, most likely, from anything you've smoked. Pick up a sample at Tinderbox or from C&D if you're feeling frisky. My first impression was "how bizarre" but in an interested way. The only negative is that it is sometimes difficult to get burning; once it's lit, it will stay lit.

As to the diaphoretic nonsense, if you're a "tobacco purist" don't waste your time trying it. Duh! Unless you plan on filling your cookie jar with this and eating it by the pound while watching the latest edition of "Internet Arguments Gone Bad," you and your hydration should remain just fine.

This is the most chunky of tobaccos. It resembles Grape Nuts cereal, but it certainly doesn't taste like it.

I love burley, so my view is from a burley lover's perspective.

The deertongue is readily visible and it adds an herbal-vanilla essence to the experience. I've had deertongue before in Old Tartan. Here, it is far more prominent and I find it compliments the burley in a delightful manner.

I have never had any difficulty in lighting Crooner. I purchased mine in bulk. I merely dip my pipe (both cobs and briar) into the tobacco and fill up the bowl in one pass.

I find the blend effortless to ignight. Perhaps this is due to the reason I allowed Crooner to dry out a bit. Over the past 4 ounces, I've had numerous times where the char light burned on its own down 3/4 of the bowl. A tamp, a light and it's down to briar. I am a pipe sipper; a small pipe dedicated to Crooner (a Hardwick straight) will go for 25-30 glorious minutes.

Overall, the flavour is sweet and woody. Chocolate notes interplay with soft nuttiness. There is no bite. I draw on my Crooner pipes through the front of my lips, much like a goldfish blowing kisses. I've discovered this brings out the sweetness of the blend.

Of all the blends that I have smoked, Crooner is one of the few tobacs that I will smoke down to the bottom of the bowl. There is no dottle, no gurgles, nothing but a comfortable, laid back experience in the bowl. I have not yet dumped or shorted a bowl of Crooner.

This was the blend that broke me from the goopy, extra-black-and-syrupy blends that I started with when just a pipe-smoking pup. This is simply what it says... cube cut Burley and Deer's Tongue(vanilla leaf) and nothing more. A bit difficult to pack initially, as I had never seen a cube cut before, but after a few tries I found gravity filling to work the best.

This was a very simple, very clean smoke that I found to be very flavorful. Nutty and cool, I could just taste a hint of vanilla. In the room, there's no quesion: people were asking me to refill my pipe shortly after I finished!

Crooner also offers a ready base for some interesting 'baccy blending at home. From time to time I like something sweet out of my pipe. A 50/50 mix of Crooner and either Butera's Sweet Cavendish or Hartwell's Evening Stroll leads to a nice desert-type of a smoke as the toasted cavendish, burley and Deer's Tongue come together in interesting ways. Definitely recommended, especially for pipe smokers looking to get away from the current batch of goopy aromatics out there.

This is another one of those tobaccos that could spark a riot. I wouldn't kill anyone over this stuff, but I might bust a few heads. No, seriously. I wasn't brave enough to order anything more than a one ounce sample, and I don't regret it a bit.

Crooner is a piece of work. It's the best looking and tasting Burley I've ever come across. Dark, giant cubes, soft to the touch, and easy for the packing. And dried, broken, olive colored leaves with a stem here and there. It's an intimidating batch to look at, and when I sampled it for the first time, I was careful to only pack half a bowl in a throw-away cob.

My expectations were something along the lines of 1792--a robust tobacco with a strange, overwhelming vanilla-like taste that would pervade the entire experience. Although that might be the characterization of some, my actual reaction differed quite a bit.

The Deer Tongue wasn't as strong or out of place as I suspected. It's in there alright, and it does have a kind of vanilla quality, but it's muted. I found the Burley to drive this blend all the way through, and I am a convert in many ways. This is the first Burley blend that I didn't have any problems with. It's such high quality stuff, it almost takes on other characteristics that I don't typically associate with the leaf. Because Burley is low in sugar content, the Deer Tongue makes an excellent compliment--they work so well together that I didn't bother to question their coexistence.

Would I smoke this every day? No. But would I buy it again? Certainly. And I will be sure to keep some on hand for those moments that I need to question why I have no idea who Bing Crosby might be. Seriously. He directed movies, right?

Cornell and Diehl are, with Peretti, the masters of burley blending. I adore Morley's Best and Big 'n Burley. However, I think in Crooner they have created one of the, if not THE, finest burley blends to be found on the market today.

Well, maybe they didn't create it. As is well known, this was Bing Crosby's private blend, and I must say that the man was more than an American cultural icon: he also had fantastic taste in tobacco.

Crooner is rich, cubed burley with deer tongue added. Very simple, but astonishingly flavorful and satisfying. It smokes cool and dry, lighting with ease despite the uncommonly large cubes of tobacco. I have never been bitten or even had mild mouth irritation from a bowl of Crooner; it is always well behaved.

The deer tongue has an herbal, spicy-sweet scent, reminiscent to me of mild vanilla and cinnamon. It complements the natural tobacco flavor of the burley beautifully.

Appearance: Mostly medium brown cubes, with a few smaller greenish bits. The cubes are substantial in size, but can be rubbed out a little.

Aroma: Mellow Burley aroma, with a hint of sweet herbiness. The aroma is elusive, but puts me in mind of Tarragon, or Summer Savory.

Packing:. Works best in medium and larger bowls. I simply pour the cubes in all the way to the top, add a few bits of rubbed out tobacco and then tamp lightly once.

Lighting:. In spite of the large cubes, the tobacco is not hard to light. Typical char, tamp and relight get it going well.

Initial flavor: The initial taste is good nutlike burley, but there is a hint of the Deer Tongue. The flavor when burning still reminds me of some delicate kitchen herb.

Mid-bowl:. The Deer Tongue provides a layer of flavor which interplays with the Burley in a beguiling manner. The Burley is excellent quality, and can stand on it?s own, but sometimes needs a counterpoint. This combination works for me. The blend burns cool and dry, but stays lit well.

Finish:. No noticeable change at the bottom of the bowl. Generally leaves a clean dry pipe.

Summary:. This is an excellent all day blend for the Burley guy. It would be a great change of pace for anyone willing to broaden his horizons, be he an English fan, a Virginia lover or an Aromatic devotee

Let me start by saying that when I first started pipe smoking I used to spend Saturday mornings at my local B&M hanging out with the "old guys" smoking pipes and solving the world's problems (this was before a local smoking ban made it illegal to smoke in any business, including a smoke shop, but I digress). Anyway, one Saturday morning we were talking and one of the guys asked me if I had ever tried a tobacco with deer tongue in it; I had not. As we were continuing to talk the pipes manager said "I think I may have some deer tongue in the back" and he went to check. When he returned he had a small canister with a very small amount in the bottom and he passed it around to let everyone see and smell it, then took it to the back to mix up a quick blend so we could try it. I don't remember exactly what was in that blend, but I remember that it was a quite pleasant smoke and that I very much enjoyed it.

That brings us to this blend. Being that this is a copy of the blend that Bing Crosby blended and smoked I thought that the best pipe for this blend would be my Savinelli Bing's Favorite - I was wrong; I actually don't like this blend in that pipe at all . What I found is that this blend is rather dull in that pipe, but in a little Jobey bent bulldog it is spectacular. Also, the other night while smoking it I had the thought that what this really needed was some Latikia, so I pulled out an English blend that is a Burley/Latakia mixture and I mixed (about 50/50) enough for one bowl, and it was fantastic!

So, while I recommend that you try this one at least once, I have two recommendations: 1, Be sure try it in different pipes if you can (but be careful, the deer tongue can ghost your pipe); and, 2, Don't be afraid to throw in a little Latakia, it does wonders for this blend.

Yep, watched White Christmas, treated myself to this blend and a Savinelli Bing.

First, let's baseline: I tried Crooner in a brand-new "bargain" bent briar (not the Savinelli). I am an occasional/pastime aromatic pipe smoker. Once in a great while I also enjoy Full Virginia Flake in the bowl but always go back to the aromatics, probably due to my infrequency with the briar overall. More frequently I enjoy medium-full premium cigars (unflavored) and imbibe in these more frequently than the pipe.

I have to enjoy a few more bowls of this blend and intend to update this review, but wanted to give some initial impressions now, since it is T'is the season and I hope this review might help others to decide.

Firstly, I did not find this blend to be "out of bounds" as it may pertain to the spectrum of aromatic blends in general. So despite some of the emphatic reviews for and against, don't let those scare you off. The 8 oz (bulk-bagged) I ordered and received did strike me as "Grape Nuts" like in texture as others have noted. My initial thought was that the tobacco seemed drier that it should be. Loaded the bowl via dipping the briar into the blend and then tamping to 3/4 full. I had no issue keeping the bowl lit through the first 2/3 or more of the bowl. In fact, after tamping down the char-light, it remained lit. The tabac burned nicely and evenly requiring more tending in the last 1/3 of the bowl. Ash is black.

Room Note: Significant other and son rate the room note pleasant and very similar to blends they have smelled before, nothing exotic or different yet at the same time they paused and mentioned that they found it interesting. Room note was warm and rich, honey-like, very nice.

Taste: I did not feel the deertongue produced any significant taste (or room note), but would have to compare a similar blend of burleys that does not have it in order to indicate what it adds/detracts from the taste, enjoyment or room note. Those keeping cadence with their briar and routine blends will no doubt be able to elaborate on this nuance. Having been away for a while, I will not opine on herbal/vanilla/flora/spice notes. I found the flavor to be pleasant, enjoyable, nothing especially remarkable either in favor or against. I could sense the nicotine kicking in during the last 1/3 of the bowl, but this could of been due to smoking it a touch too fast at the end as I was outside and the temperature was dropping from the 20's to the teens! Still, I don't remember an aromatic doing this to me before, even if I had to "hurry it along" (rather than stop and empty).

Until further update: Don't let the ranging love-hate reviews dissuade you from trying a few ounces. My bet is if you are an aromatic blend smoker, you will not dislike this. The question is, how much will you like it.

What an odd blend this is! It's very straightforward: Just little nuggets of burley with flecks of green leaf (the Deertongue) scattered throughout. Very simple in appearance. The smell of the mixture is lovely, with the very clean burley aroma mixing nicely with the vanilla-like scent of the deertongue. I doubt very highly there is any topping on this blend and if there is any sweetness added to the burley, I don't detect it. A very pure, "natural" blend.

Crooner packs easily--almost too easily, in fact, as I've found that any compression might be sufficient to make it too dense to burn well. Just pour it into the pipe and give it the slightest press to make sure everything is seated. Even so, it burns very slowly and can go out easily, which I have found makes it a bit of a frustration to smoke.

But the ultimate test is the smoke itself. And the smoke of Crooner is delicious and complex, but odd. Certainly the burley is at the fore of the flavor--nutty and a bit bitter, the classic burley flavor. Intermixed with this is the herbal, slightly sweet flavor of the deertongue which is definitely _not_ vanilla but certainly is reminiscent of vanilla. The deertongue flavor plays with the burley flavor in a way that is unlike any other blend I have tried. I believe that a big component of this is that the flavor of the smoke keeps changing as larger or smaller bits of deertongu burn. The flavors are not "wedded" as they would be with other types of "seasonings." I think this is not something that aging would change. So the smoking experience changes from puff to puff. The smoke is cool with no risk of bite (doubtless due to the low sugar content as well as to the slow burning inherent with the cubed burley). I find Crooner to be a pleasant smoker, overall, but I find myself wanting more "mouthy" smoke. This isn't a blend that fills the mouth. The smoke is flavorful but "wispy."

Crooner is some potent stuff. That burley doesn't hold back on the nicotine! Also, deertongue is a medicinal herb (trilisa odoratissima) that contains coumarin, a chemical used as an anticoagulant as well as for several other applications. Whether there is enough coumarin in a pipeful of Crooner to have any physiological impact I do not know. When smoking Crooner, I've often wondered if some of the effects I've felt are due to the coumarin, but this is sheer speculation--there's a thesis topic in there for some grad student, I'm sure! But, whether due to plain ol' nicotine or something else, it is a fact that Crooner packs a bit of a punch.

All in all, crooner is an interesting and worthwhile blend to try. I wouldn't regard this as a go-to, for me, by any means. But I like keeping some in-hand and go through a couple of ounces each year. Give it a shot.

I saw some good reviews of this tobacco so I thought I would give it a try. Definitely not to my liking. Didn't pack in the bowl well (maybe was a bit dry) and needed multiple lights. From the first few puffs on I knew this was not for me. Harsh taste and bad smell. Threw out quite a bit as for me was un-smokable.

The quality of the cubed burley is awesome. The deer tongue isn't just floral, it has a spicy nip that's a bit like perique. What might seem like bite turns out to be just spice. Burley moisture level is perfect, but the deer tongue makes it seem dry; just light it and enjoy a trouble free bowl. My beard smelled a bit too pretty afterward hee hee. Initial light is a bit odd and I caught a whiff that smelled remotely of a less legal weed, but this passed very quickly. Very rich and effortless smoking comes quite quickly. Does Crooner ghost a pipe? Sort of, but it's such a harmless smell that seems compatible with Balkans, Orientals and any vanilla or fruity aromatic... it might even freshen up a sour pipe! But you may experience a troublesome ghosting of a different sort (read on).

On to my advice... I think anyone who is curious about trying Crooner should just get a couple ounces and try it because you really need to experience it. However, I did have a bit of a problem not related to the actual quality of the blend... Unfortunately, I ordered six other blends with the Crooner, including five rather expensive Gawith & Hoggarths and the very pungent Crooner saturated the entire shipment with it's floral scent. So now among other things I have a beautiful piece of Sweet Whiskey Twist that smells like Sweet Whiskey Crooner. I'm hoping that these other tobaccos will air out and lose that scent. Perhaps I will call smokingpipes? Anyway, if you do order some Crooner you might want to ask the seller to try to better isolate the Crooner from other blends in the same box.

I bought this on whim and enjoyed but I don't think it will ever be a favorite, more of a pleasent novelty. The flavor that the deer tongue imparts is quite fresh and rather 'grassy', but definitely not a tobacco flavor. Packing and lighting the cube cute is a learning experience. How you like it will depend on how you approach pipe smoking in general. If it is an adventure that you want to explore thoroughly, by all means get ahold of a couple of ounces. Are you searching for a certain something in tobacco and are on a constent quest for the finest of that something, I would say borrow a bowlful from that other guy.

Crooner is hands down my go to smoke. It manages to please my need for a strong, bold, flavorful blend while still being pleasant for those in the room with me. The burley is typical of C&D. Bold, strong and full of nutty goodness. As everyone says, C&D knows their burley. The deer tongue however is what makes this a love or hate blend. Its supposed to have a vanilla/mint flavor to it but I pick up more of a floral note. Those looking for a vanilla/mint note usually end up hating it. I however was pleasantly surprised by the unique flavor of deer tongue. Crooner is now a daily smoke for me. Every afternoon after lunch. Those who hate it will hate it but i for one love me some crooner.

It has been many years since I have smoked this blend. Originally I thought it to be an aromatic, and as an aromatic smoker at that time, I happily puffed away at it. It's potency soon became apparent. It is not a potent mixture by English standards, but certainly by aromatic standards. I remember it having the scent and flavor of raisins. It was quite enjoyable.

I very much enjoyed this one, again only had a small sample of it, but it was a fascinating blend none the less. I love the herbal flavors imparted from the deer tongue, I've never smoked anything like it and the smell wafting from the small baggy I had was just fascinating to behold from a tobacco, it kind of beckons you to try it. I'll definitely be purchasing a tin at some point.

Good stuff. Not a daily blend but it's good enough to keep around. The cube cut is new to me and I have trouble packing it properly and keeping it lit but I think that's more my inexperience than the tobacco.

I love old time radio and the like, so I had to try this. The cut is cubed and reminds me of Grape Nuts Cereal. There is a slight mint smell when first opened, but that soon goes away. The stuff packs easily, but you do have to know how to pack this kind of tobacco. I recommend light on the bottom and tamped more heavily on top. The light must be thorough and some time must be taken to get it to burn properly. All of us cube cut fans soon learn to work with this style. The flavor is of a medium Burley with just a hint of Virginia. Then, as you might guess, there is the taste of Deer Tongue. Deer Tongue provides the "mint" flavor. This is mint not menthol. And, that flavor stays pretty well balanced with the Burley. The mint flavor puts me more in mind of the mint plant that you might grow near your outdoor water hydrant. That's the overall smell and taste in the pipe. It is kind of grassy and with the deeper wood of Burley goodness. The flavor stays the same down to the last puff. This tobacco is perfect for a Summer day. I am reminded a lot of Carter Hall. Well, if Carter Hall wasn't so fruity and had more taste, it would be real close. This stuff is not an every day smoke, but it is interesting without being complex and goes really well with iced tea rather than coffee. I think that Bing would have been pleased to see his favorite blend still making the rounds. For me, my choice is still Prince Albert for a nice general smoke.

Crooner was the first premium burly blend I smoked. Love this stuff, I'm a bit put off by the Deertongue only because it's been banned in some countries. However, it's probably silly to worry about the health concerns, you are after all smoking this stuff.

The trick to lighting it is just dipping your pipe in and lighting. Give it two or three char lights then tap down. The aroma before it's lit reminds me of a fresh field from my youth when I'd go fishing. It burns nicely and has a pleasant aroma as well. My only problem is after two bowls I get a pretty lousy after taste in my mouth for a few hours. But for a once a week smoke you can't beat this stuff.

There are pros and cons to this tobacco.First the pros,good tasting due to the deer tongue and the aroma brought me compliments.Now the cons,smoking this is rather tricky,it's difficult to keep lit unless you take more frequent drags off of, therefore making the pipe rather hot.I asked my local tobacconist and he thinks it's the way it is cut that is making it a tough smoke.This tobacco can attack the tongue if not smoked easy.I still like this stuff and hope to get better at smoking it.

I have been smoking crooner for a few weeks now,and it has became one of my #1 go to tobaccos.I absolutely love it.The taste reminds me of granola bars and licorice.It does take a few more relights but isnt that bad after a little practice.I just gravity fill and smoke.I dont even tamp this one.The deertongue really stands out through the first half bowl.Then the sweet,nuttiness of the burleys sneak up on you.This is a great way to experience a flavorfull tobacco without having to smoke low-grade simple aromatics.This is one that I cant do without.

Crooner has an ineffable taste that is at once spicy, toasty, nutty, musty and dark. Further, it leans toward the bitter, the sweet, the soapy, and the incense-like, without really being any of those things. All of that, and yet there is no symphony, no chord of notes -- just a monotone with outré harmonics. Whatever it is, the taste seems unified, integrated, balanced. Weird description, I know. But its a weird tobacco.

For me this tobacco is as difficult to smoke as it is to describe. I struggled mightily in keeping the hard little nuggets of tobacco lit. They look like dessicated mouse pellets (IYKWIM). I finally got great results by mixing in some plain Burley which improved the burn without shifting the taste too much. Still yummy. I also found that a large diameter bowl opened up the taste to good effect (a whopping 24mm ¼-bent bulldog). Hopefully I'll find some Maryland tobacco to blend into this stuff to improve the burn. This sounds like a lot of effort to put into a smoke, but I like this stuff well enough to jump through a few hoops.

Though I would normally rate this at 3 stars based on its own merit, I'm juicing it up to 4 stars as a statement of encouragement to Burleyphiles everywhere. Give this a try.

P.S. I rated the "Flavoring" category as "None Detected" to suggest that I couldn't taste any casing sauce. But technically, I guess deertongue is a top dressing, albeit a dry, natural one; and you can certainly detect it here.

I will start by stating that in the past I have not been a big fan of burley blends. I decided to try again mostly on the reviews found here. I'm glad I did.

This is a strange blend. The burley is like BB's. Packing this blend is in a word.....ODD. I'm never sure if it is packed, or not. I gravity fill the bowl, and the pack tightly. It seems to resist over packing. It lights with a couple of lights, and burns nicely. The flavor is quite sweet, and the deer tongue can be detected. This blend will most likely not be in my daily rotation, but I will keep some around for the times I want to take a detour from the Virginia hiways that I so love. Rate *

Rumor has it a smoke shop in Philadelphia made this for Bing. Rumor also has it that the original Tinder Box in Santa Monica blended it as well. I had the pleasure of talking to Ed Kolpin who is the founder of the Tinder Box and we talked about Bing a bit. Ed carved over -14- pipes for Bing. Ed claimed that Bing also liked Ed's "Special" blend. Bing lived close to the store and frequented it oten. The Santa Monica store still has the original recipes. The Tinder Box chain does not. I am not hating on the Tinder Box chain but I live 20 minutes from the original store and I will take their word for it. Back to Crooner. Nice cube cut burley mixed with deer tongue. That's it. Nothing more nothing less. I smoke it in my Savinelli Bings favorite pipes, Wilmer Bel Air and an original pipe carved by Ed that was carved for Bing, but Bing passed on in 1977 and never picked the pipe up. Smokes cool in the Crosby shape pipe with the longer stem. Sometimes I mix with BCA for a sweeter taste in my Meerschaums. I am a proud member of the ICC ( International Crosby Circle ), so I am a little biased to this blend. On the other hand I have always enjoyed rough cut burley. Keep in mind when you smoke this blend it is a pant burner!! Smoke slow and enjoy. A little Bing Crosby music in the background helps out as well!

I have not cared for Burley's before. This blend is sublime. I agree with other reviewers that it is harder to keep lit than a traditional shag cut. And yes, the cubed burley is a bit hard and makes some powder waste in the bottom of the bag.

Having said that, I don' care. I will reorder this stuff in quantity.

As Achille Savinelli says: "It is better to use a few more matches or a little more gas than to burn your pipe. Haven't you noticed that old smokers in general are those who let their pipes go out more frequently?"

The folks at Cornell Diehl told me that this has some molasses on it. That accounts for some of the pouch flavor. It never leads to a hot, goopy, sugary smoke though. On the contrary. It touches off the flavor of what is obviously a top quality burley.

That first light simply sings!

I can't be sure if the deer tongue adds to that sweet molasses/vanilla note or not...

I just know that the flavor is complex, it stays interesting throughout the bowl, and is thoroughly enjoyable.

Becuase the burley cubes are a bit hard, you can't really pack this down after smoking a little. I have found that you have to use a poker to break up the tobacco that is partially burnt in the bowl. This will enable an easier re-light and less dottle.

Trust me folks, this one is worth the effort, and at least worth an earnest try.

I have not yet tried leaving a bit of this tobacco out to air dry yet to see if it makes it easier to keep lit. I don't want to lose any of that subtle flavoring. I count it a fair trade to have to light this a bit more, and get such a pleasant smoke.

I really can not recommend this enough. I find myself not wanting to smoke anything else!

I have been smoking Crooner now for more than a week. I must say that I enjoy it very much. The Deer Tongue is ever present. The burley is top drawer.

But, it will be an acquired taste for newbies, and old-timers should get a kick out of the burley. English blend lovers will find this a pleasant diversion. I will definitely order this again from C&D. Craig Tarler is a genius and his burley is the finest in the land. Bar none. Nuff said.

The phrase 'occasional treat' describes my usage as well. Am enjoying some in a Pete System right now. It's a real throwback to childhood, as a dear family friend (we'll call him Mr. I.) smoked something like this. It had deer tongue, for sure.

A few other thoughts:

The quality of the burley seems quite good.

The pouch aroma will pervade a room in minutes.

Smokes cool, except at the very bottom of the bowl.

Does not seem to linger in the pipe after smoking. But you may want to dedicate a 'yard pipe' to Crooner, at least initially.

I was a little surprised. Never having tried Deer tongue- I felt it was time. Besides how can the man that defines X-mas for me every year steer me astray? Cubed burley and deer tongue. Its simnple and tasty- But one does need caution. It comes across to me as a nice nutty, Vanila/saspirilla/ I don't know what, but its sure darn familiar tase. My wife likes the room note, which is that similar yet can't put your finger on it taste. It mild in Nic. and taste- so its pretty no nonsense. I liked it. So why my word of care? A friend went on to smoke bowl after bowl- being a die hard puffer....and I believe the medicinal effects came into play. Evidently- Deer tongue promotes sweating and alledges to promote clearing on the mucus membranes- I think he had the reverse effect and got a sore throat....So use a bit of caution. I had no ill effects at all- and go recomend it.... :)

Hey, if it was good enough for Bing, I gotta see what he saw in it. Being cube-cut burley, packing is a no-brainer...gravity feed, and tamp it down a little. My 4oz bag arrived fairly moist. Rather than wait and dry it out, I filled up and lit it right up. The deer tongue, as has been described are little green threads sprinkled throughout the burley. There didn't look like much of it, but they do come through in the smoking. I did note that there was a grassy note to it too, but that description doesn't really do it justice. It adds a unique flavor and body to the burley which I enjoyed. It won't be a daily smoke for me, but I don't have a blend that is. I have decided to dedicate a Bing-style Wilmer to this blend though, and will come back to it with some regularity. This stuff is off the beaten path, but it is unique, and I did not find it over the top or offensive in any way. If you were looking to try something "different" but not weird, I would be comfortable recommending this.

I have seen and smoked cubed burley and blends containing cubed burley but never have I come across a blend such as Crooner where the cubed burley is 3 to 4 times the size I was accustomed to seeing and smoking. The burley cubes in Crooner are HUGE comparatively speaking. As a consequence, you may find frequent relights are necessary no matter how you pack it. It may be advisable to make smaller cubes using a food chopper or nut chopper.

Regarding the deer tongue, it is light green in color and visually present and interspersed throughout the cubes. The deer tongue is at the forefront at all times and it presents a very unusual but not a disagreeable taste that I would call musky and mildly herbal. This taste is not reminiscent of any other tobacco I have smoked. If you are inquisitive, you will just have to find out for yourself what this deer tongue is all about. I think the Indians smoked this stuff. If the cubes were smaller, I think I might smoke it more often. But all in all, it really is not a bad smoke. It is mild with no bite and just a heck of a lot different.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

Being a dedicated phile of all things odd - I had to try this herbally based burley blend that has received so much...attention.

The odor in the one ounce sample dominated the box of my last C+D order. The scent carried strange nostalgia of the tobaccos my grandfather smoked... I am sure he smoked half and half - and other popular burley blends, but I now wonder if he had ever dabbled in deer tongue mixtures.

The pouch aroma is exceptionally pleasant, light and floral. Not in the lakeland tobacco way, but in the same sense as a grassy summer field.

This was by far one of the strangest tobaccos I've ever rubbed out - sticky clumps that seemed almost seed like. The green leaves emitting their vanilla aroma. Quite a bit of moisture and a number of relights necessary to get going. I suspect this sample will do well with some drying and aging.

Upon lighting and smoking - there is distinct nose of anise, vanilla, basil, and evergreen. This balances out to a fairly straightforward smoke with only hints of the herb coming through. I've never smoked straight burley, and will have to do so to determine whether or not the deer tongue "ruins" the burley taste and aroma.

Perhaps it is my inheritence of "generation X", but I seem to be among the dissenting number that much prefer Bing's choice of tobacco to his music.

While likely not something I'll smoke every day - this provides an interesting and naturally aromatic smoke that I'll more than likely return to in the future. 4 stars for daring.

I've smoked a pound and a half of this stuff since 2000 or so and it's okay but nothing super. The first pound I bought from C&D was excellent. The burleys were top notch and there were plenty of green flakes all through the blend. The second pound was only similar in the list of ingredients. The Burley was very wet and sort of clumped together in lumps instead of a cube cut. The proportion of deer tongue might have changed too, because it was harder to see it. At this time, C&D announced they had to find another distributor for some of their Burleys and this blend came from that batch. It wasn't the same blend as the first pound and I hadn't bought anymore, so I don't really know how today's blend actually is.

When good, it has perfect burning qualities, gets a little hot and bitey and has a fabulous aroma in the pouch and room. When bad, it gets really hot and bitey and the burley taste becomes just hot air that will fry every corner of your mouth. It will also turn to mold without adding any water or doing anything to it. I've still got a bunch of the second batch left over and I occasionally smoke it thinking age will help it some, so I'll give it the recommendation that I did. Otherwise, I would never buy a pound of it again until I was sure it was similar to the older stuff.

Open up this bag and you see tiny little cubes of burley flecked with spots of green--that's the deer's tongue. If you've smoked straight burley then you should already have a good idea of what this is like, so you're probably just wondering about the deer's tongue. It adds a sort of sharp tanginess to the smoke, but is sort of a surprise to the smoke every now and then. It's like you're eating a well-done steak, no frills, just a good steak, and then you have your fork halfway to your mouth and someone sneaks up and gives you a tiny squirt of A-1 sauce. That's one of those little flecks of deer's tongue firing off. Further down the bowl it takes on a sort of fruitiness and finishes with a not unpleasant aftertaste. This is burley, no mistake about it, and the deer's tongue keeps it interesting.

As one who ocassionally smokes straight burley, this was a blend I had to try out. I was first given a sample of this at the last club meeting of Orange County Briar . I enjoyed it so much that the next day I purchased some from my local tobbacconist. I happen to like deer tongue and the proportion to the burley is perfect. This is a strightforward blend. The bowl starts with the hay/grassy flavor typical of burley but develops into an addicting natural nutty vanilla flavor with the deertongue adding a soapy-like flavor that I really enjoy ( yes, I know that sounds strange). While this is not an everyday smoke for me, I liken this blend to a palate cleaner that wine tasters use in between reviews. So with that said, consider this blend. It smokes relatively cool, and leaves no dottle, and is not sensitive to bowl size. Enjoy....

Over the last couple of weeks this has become my staple "after breakfast pipe." It's not so much a matter of like, dislke so much as fascination.

I like cube cut burley. The addition of the deer tongue to my palate is in all actuality very subtle; one doesn't so much get slapped in the face by the flavor as notice a shading of a vanilla-cinnamon-like taste.

In addition, this is one of the few tobaccos I have ever found that smells exactly like it tastes. The room note is actually discernable to the smoker.

I would suggest picking up an ounce if the opportunity presents itself. If nothing else, I'm sure you will find it one of the most interesting smokes you have ever had.

For me this falls into the "one of those blends the adventurous pipester should try at least once" category. The burley is quite flavorful, and the deer's tongue is...well a little weird, but I like it. (Then again, I'm a little weird myself.) It has a sort of old-fashioned, outdoorsy, lost-in-the-woods herbal flavor to it (it _is_ an herb, after all) that many will find distasteful, but which I find a refreshing change of pace. Couldn't smoke it every day, though. And the deer's tongue WILL leave its taste in your pipe for a bowl or two.

If I have one complaint, it's the the burley is rock-hard. This may be in keeping with C&D's policy of dry shipping, but my attempts at rehumidification (by misting the stuff with distilled water) left the tobacco hard and sticky, not soft and fluffy as cubed burley should be. Maybe that's the way Bing liked it??

I wanted to give this blend a try because of the deer tongue added to the cubed burley. This herb appears as green flecks among the light colored burley cubes. It packs easily due to the cut & should be gravity fed. It lights easily & produces a good volume of smoke. I find the deer tongue an interesting addition. It adds a grassy, vanilla, astringent tast to the first third of the bowl. After that it lightens considerably & the nutty flavor of the high quality burley takes hold. This is an interesting, enjoyable blend & I will use it to change up with my favorite cubed burley, C&D Canal Boat. If you like cubed burley you will probably like this.

I have been wanting to try out this deer tongue for a while so i ordered 1oz of Crooner. Many have said that you either love it or hate it. I will have to say that's not true. I'm indifferent. It was not the horrible thing I have heard it described by many. It does have an odd tin aroma, sort of a vanilla/mint. Crooner is a strong burley blend, which I like. I think the deer tongue burns off about 3/4 way through the bowl, leaving a nice cube cut burley blend. There is a slight ghosting, but nothing a couple of bowls of an aromatic or strong latakia should not take care of.

Bing won Best Actor in '44 and was nominated for two others. His movies sold more tickets than any other actor save John Wayne and Clark Gable and his record sales have reportedly rivaled Elvis and the Beatles combined (Over half a billion sold!). Even today he remains the father image of the fabled White Christmas itself. Yet despite wanting to experience a little "Bing" at this yuletide season, I'm surprised that he could even carry a tune if this is what he really smoked! While it smells of vanilla out of the bag, it succeeds only in numbing the mouth with "raindeer" tongue. Upon lighting, it comes boiling out of the bowl like a "fizzy" before settling into a masterpiece of blandness. Sorry boys, I doubt that Bing really smoked this stuff. This either hast to be a sells gimmick, or should have been buried with the "Crooner" in 1977. (If this blend was even around back then). Truth is I'm a little sore at this tobacco company for tarnishing the good name of Bing with something that he never endorsed. Sorry to be such a humbug at this season, so I better go now and wash this cheap cigarette smell off of my hands and then re-tool by watching "White Christmas" while enjoying some really good tobacco like White Knight. Cheers!

In a word, "Yuck!" Not to diss deer tongue nor burley, nor even cube cut, but this stuff is gross. I wouldn't give this to the meanest one-eyed junkyard dog, even if he bit me! You are much better off with 4noggins' Imagine, by a long shot. This Crooner, though - nasty, nasty stuff. Be warned. Made me want a codger OTC, man. Anything! Not worth your money. Didn't even finish a third of a bowl, and I can dig sock-em tobacco. Too aggressive and just not right, man. Felt like a baby dragon was trying to poop in my mouth! Fortunately I had the good sense to dump it early, and smoke a bowl of Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard instead. You take the quality of the great ones for granted until they come to save the day!! Thank goodness I had the hero on hand. Don't spend your money on Crooner - not even as a novelty or curiosity. You will regret it. Blech! (I am going to try a little for mixing, and see how that works. I really hate to waste a full bag. Perhaps it works better in a blend...but straightforward, no.) UPDATE: Terrible for mixing. Overpowers everything.

Smells fine in the tin/bag/pouch. However you buy it. The aroma is an invitation to dabble into the unknown. It actually makes you overly curious about what it will taste like in the bowl. There's no way you can stop yourself once you smell this tin note.

1st lite had me wondering if the flame got to close to my knuckles and i had burnt a few hairs. But this stuff is hard to lite let alone keep lit. A bunch of puffs latter confirmed to me that I wasn't burning the hair off my knuckles. Thats the deer tongue. But once I keep smoking the bowl that pretty much went away. But its still a very weird flavor to put it bluntly.

The room note reminded me of growing up. As a child running through the hot and humid meadows of Up state new york. You can literally smell every weed, flower, every blade of tall grass. Take that as good or bad. For me its a fond memory.

Over all I can't handle the flavor. Its just too ..... alien. Its like nothing you've ever smoked. In fact to be completely honest it made my head spin and gave me nausea for 8 hours. The deer tongue is definately the cuplrit there.

I fail to grasp the old fashioned use of this in tobacco. Some say it was used to give toby more of a vanilla flavor. But it sure does exactly the opposite here.

Gee grandpa what were you thinking?

I won't give this one star when a few people do like it. So I'll give it 2 by saying...... I somewhat reccomend this for curiosity sake only. If you can get past one bowl and want another your a tougher SOB than I am. You'd had to pay me to give it more than the 2 stars.

When I first tried this blend I had illusions of grandeur. I was excited about smoking the blend of the great Bing Crosby. Those illusions and the fact that this is a Burley are what got to me to not give up on this blend right out of the gate.

From the package, these little cubes were quite moist. You could just feel it rubbing them between your fingers. I hoped for the best, gravity fed the bowl and fired up. It is a difficult blend to keep lit. I would imagine with some drying time it would burn better, however, I would worry about the heat and the burn rate if it dried out to where it needed to be.

The flavor is great, when you can keep it lit to get the flavor. I enjoyed the Deer Tongue, and the Burley was rich and nutty. Great combination IMO.

In general, not a bad blend, however the the difficulty keeping it lit makes it more troublesome than it is worth. Nice for a change of pace, but not an everyday. 2 stars is the best I can do.

the more I smoke this the less I like it. It will be a chore to finish 4 oz. Dropping rating to one star.

Any pipe smokers in Montreal got something worth swapping?

--

Well this is something unique. It resembles gunpowder green tea -- tiny balls of rolled up leaves, with the occasional dried shoot of deer tongue. Is there also deer tongue rolled into the tobacco? Where is the vanilla taste coming from? The deer tongue, or a casing?

I must say the deer has a talented tongue. It's licked me in all the right places.

UPDATE: The truth is in consumption. And since my initial sampling of Crooner I haven't re-ordered. It's smokeable enough and the deer tongue provides a decent change of pace from a burleyphiles normal fare but I can't say that Crooner has been or will be any more than a mood tobacco in my current rotation. Please don't misunderstand, it's not bad tobacco but just isn't something that would keep my attention.

Original Review: Got this in a sample pack from C&D. It should be noted right up front that I am a burleyphile. Especially those "pedestrian" blends that harken back to the days when pipe smoking was as much a part of being a man as shaving. All that said, the reviews of this blend were a little hard to gauge. It appeared to be one of those love it or hate it blends. Curious to see what side of the fence I was on I just had to try it. For me at least, it was something totally different. Normally a remark like that is something akin to saying a lady has a really nice personality but not so with Crooner. It was very tasty and an initial "Man, what was that!" quickly became a "Gee, that's some really good stuff." The deer tongue is conspicuous throughout the smoke but never in a mundane, predictable way. It's contributions swing wildly from an herby, earthy kind of flavor (reminding me of cedar) to a very vanilla sort of a taste (without the goop and gum normally associated with a tobacco that tastes like vanilla). All of it's incarnations seemed subtle, tastey and somewhat exotic, unlike anything I had ever smoked before. I was however, always quick to load another bowl. I didn't experience the difficulties keeping this lit that others have reported. It does however demand a fairly robust charring light. Tamp and relight and you're off. The cube cut burley was a very slow, cool burner and true to the classic burley genre, slow and steady (puffing) wins the race. Quicker, aggressive puffing resulted in slightly hotter but never bitey or bitter smoke. It burned clear to the bottom of the bowl with leaving only a clean, dry bed of white ash. Those around me reported a room note something similar to gingerbread. Crooner's niche in my rotation will probably be as the kicked up, something totally different but classic burley nonetheless blend. Burley blends are all about understated simplicity. Occassionally, I crave a bit more complexity without sacrificing everything that's great about an old school burley(smokeability, low maintenance, great taste). Crooner is the cat's pajamas in this role. This is a must try for burley lovers and a blend that could very well convert a non-believer. My lunch time smoke today was a metaphysical experience. I loaded a four digit woodie with Crooner and kicked back for an hour long smoke while reading the newspaper. Beauty says I, very well done and highly recommended.

Initial 2003: I picked up an ounce of this interesting blend with another order and initially liked it enough to order more. I liked the sweet nutty Burley flavor (yes, smells just a bit of vanilla in the pouch to me too). The ounce sample had quite sparse flecks of "the tongue". Over the course of a day I tried it in three pipes with mixed results. The best was the first, a Peterson's Emerald Half Bent Rhodesian...smallish bowl. I could easily catch the sweet nutty Burley - counterplayed with the occasional Tongue. I'll use the word "interesting". Though there are elements here that I enjoy they never came together for me. Perhaps I'm just looking for a different flavor profile. Also, perhaps if I had one of those "Bing's" Savinelli's (I'm pretty sure we all need at least one more pipe) it would feel more at home and behave better.

Revisited 2008: Tried this again and it did not impress. There are too many other amazing offerings right now to spend more time puffing "tongue-weed".

Most of the previous reviews have covered the various aspects of Crooner. I've had my best luck with it by gravity filling the pipe half full, packing lightly, then gravity filling the pipe full and packing firmly. It can still be a chore to get going, often requiring several relights at the start. Once you do finally get it lit, it burns pretty well. This may be because this is the largest cubed burley I've ever seen.

Crooner has the classic burley nuttiness, with an added bonus of the vanilla notes coming from the deer tongue. Some like it, some don't, I personally find the vanilla flavor adds to the pleasure of the smoke. It is a little more assertive than in blends like Hearth and Home's Old Tartan and Capitol Stairs, and I will say that I prefer the latter two to this blend. If you've read the other reviews, you know that opinions vary widely on this blend, so I would recommend getting a sampler before making a final decision to order a pound.

Scores for Crooner; flavor-13 of 20; packing and burn-7 of 10; value-7 of 10. Crooner gets 27 points and a * rating.

Update 10/07- After smoking more of this tobacco, I find I am not as fond of the taste as I was at first. I am downgrading it to two stars.

An excellent alternative to goopy aromatics. Try the experience of "DEER TONGUE". It really is wonderful A very Old Timey blend. Cubed Burley is excellent, though a little hot! I found this blend benefits greatly fom tha addition of McClelland' "BLENDING ORIENTAL" . A little bit of this cools down the blend and adds a new dimnsion to the smoke. A wonderful AMERICAN pipe tobacco blend and experience. 4 of 4 stars! ================= UPDATE 6/15/17======================== I hat to say it but another C&D product that has taken a dive. If you want DEER TONGUE blends of worth check out Fader's Old Mike and Luau. Sorry Craig, you're losing the MAGIC. You cannot keep this stuff lit!

While I do enjoy Bing's music, I think I'll take a pass on his tobacco preferences. Yep, I tasted the deer tongue loud and clear while working my way through a recent bowl (and believe me, it WAS work.) And for anyone who cares, I copied the following description of deer tongue from an herbal website:

Description---Herbaceous perennial plant, composite distinguished by a naked receptacle, oblong, imbricated, involucre, and feathery pappus, fleshy basal leaves obolanceolate, terminating in a flattened stalk. The leaves are used to flavour tobacco. Their perfume is largely due to Coumarin, which can be seen in crystals on the upper side of the smooth spatulate leaves.

Now I ask, is the above description going to make you head off lickety split for your nearest tobacconist?

The Burley in Crooner was top-shelf and burned easily. But the strange taste provided by the deer tongue just flat put me off. I don't know, maybe it was the "oblong, imbricated, involucre feathery pappus, fleshly basal leaves" that just didn't work for me.

And finally, Crooner is the only Burley based tobaccos where I had to rub out the chunks before loading up. Now I've got deer tongue all over my fingers....

I purchased 4oz. of Crooner about 10 months ago, and I still have an ounce left. Its not too bad, Im sure some guys like it. Not somthing I grab for very often and probably wont re-purchase it. It does have a slight stinging property to it that I believe is the added herb. One good point is the tin aroma. It reminds me of a jar of oatmeal cookies.

Crooner could never be a regular in my rotation, but I do occasionally want a bowl of it. It's a simple tobacco with a very unique taste...it is what it is. Bing Crosby may have smoked this a lot, but for me it's an occasional treat and nothing more.

Deer tongue has a very distinctive aroma and flavor. My vocabulary skills aren't up to the task of describing it, save to say that it's "deer-tongue flavored". Generally I stay with unflavored tobaccos, excepting Mac Baren Navy Flake and Crooner.

Cubes of burley and green deer tongue; Crooner is a visually simple blend. It packs simply enough, although there's not much "packing" involved. Fill up a bow, press it down with a firm hand, and then sprinklesome slightly rubbed out Crooner on top...that's about it.

My orders of crooner have always arrived at a moisture level that's appropriate for smoking. It lights easily and rarely requires a relight. The Burley is top quality. (I have no idea what the quality of the deer tongue is as it's the only deer tongue I've ever seen. However, considering the high quality of the ingredients in every other C&D blend that I've smoked, I believe it's safe to assume that the deer tongue is high quality stuff as well.)

The nuttiness of the burly comes on first, but the deer tongue catches up quickly. The rest of the bowl shows little change for me, as the burley and deer tongue simply burn and give up nothing throughout the bowl.

This blend always smokes to a fine gray ash. The end of the bowl is little changed from the entire experience.

In the end, Crooner is a mixture of Burley and deer tongue. Nothing sophisticated, nothing challenging, no nuance to mention. The fundamental issue for any smoker will be, "Do I like the taste of deer tongue?" If you do, then this blend could easily find a place in your rotation. If not, then there's little point in ever trying a second bowl.

I smoke Crooner occasionally, but others with whom I've talked are split on their reaction to it. Some are like me, keeping it around as a nice change of pace on occasion. Others detest it, having emptied out their first and only bowl.

If you don't know whether or not deer tongue is something you'd like to try, get a sample bowl from a friend or a local shop. You'll know quickly if this is a taste for you. I have to knock my rating to 2 stars, given that many people simply detest this blend.

The Burley cube cut from C&D is first rate. The Deers Tongue, Latin Name "Liatris Odoratissima", has a herbal vanilla fragrance. It is fair to note to the readers (as they have a right to know) that the Deers Tongue possesses a TOXIC white crystalline Lactone, C9H6O2, which in adequate doses, is diaphoretic (increases perspiration), is an anticoagulant(stops blood from clotting), diuretic, and antipyretic (reduces fever). The herb has medicinal properties, obviously, but as a stedfast purist, when it comes to tobacco products--I enjoy 100% tobacco. The Deers Tongue, in no way should be confused with "vanilla leaf", because there IS NO SUCH THING AS VANILLA LEAF. The Vanilla essence used to flavor and fragrance tobacco is derived from the Vanilla "bean" from the orchid flower that grows in tropical areas of the world. The essence is from an alcohol decoction of the vanilla bean. Some believe the best vanilla comes from Madagascar. Deers Tongue is different than vanilla. I really don't care what Mr. Bing Crosby smoked, nor do I wish to emulate what he did with his blending. I like my tobacco to be 100% tobacco, and the addition of Deers Tongue in a superior quality Burley from Cornell & Diehl is a pathetic adulteration of a great Burley Cube cut.

Bing was a great singer. However, he was anything but a great blender. This blend has essentially nothing going for it and I cannot figure out why anyone would like it. Cube cut burley with some herb added. The taste is odd, musty and unmemorable. This 4 ounce bag will end up in the trash.

Thanks Talon ol' Friend!! Yeah, very weird thing, overnight after smoking this, My voice aged 30 years. it took 3 days just to enjoy old Joe again. As Talon explained below - Great smoke - but each person's chemical make up may be different. I do not know if it is possible to be allergic to Deer Tongue but I have unfortunately stay away. TOO BAD though this would have one of the "iching" smokes I was looking for in the never ending journey through Arcadia.

I highly recommend this. Good Cubed Burley, great unique smell and taste, perfect NIC HIT. A nostalgic smoke. If you do start a scratchiness in the back of the throat or in the nose - stop smoking it immediatley.

Smokey hit the nail on this one .My pouch was pleasant the packing was good and the lighting was horrible after a few lights fighting with it. some say its like old tartan, but I differ, but they are both good smokes.

Good in small doses. I cannot see myself lighting this up more then once a month. Here is my experiance.

Really enjoyed the aroma of the tobacco, a light semi-aromatic (only because of the DT). Usually a Virginian lover but hey, It's Bing! I let this bled sit for about 3 months before I acutally got around to smoking it. I hear it packs nicley, but I decide to break it down a little bit. I Loded up a small bowel grabbed John Eldridge's "Wild at Heart" and as per my wifes request headed outside to the rainy Jacksonville morn. Pre lite was nice and smokey real dence gray smoke. Which I really like. The taste was nice a little flat but not bad. I set er down and grabbed a pipe cleaner and proceeded to begin my session.

About 30 minutes int the bowel, It started to change, hot and wet. SO I let it sit threw a cleaner through it and dried it out. It was still good, but started to grow board with it. I fineshed it off with this conclusion

6.5 out of 10

Nice but a little bland twords the end. Got wet fast. Nice room note. I cant see smokeing a large bowel. Stick with a small one. Good in small doses. Definitaly unique. Somewhat of a novelty.

Folks, particularly those that favor this blend, I beg your indulgence. Tobacco like many things, is an entirely personal experience and my experience with Crooner is one of extreme bias.

While I find so many of the C&D blends masterful and I'm a good customer ... this wretched weed actually managed to get me angry. While the burley is magnificent and it can be noticed a bit through the smoke, the olfactory assault of deer tongue was vicious. Of an in itself, this is a very pleasant herb, probably suitable for room freshener or rug cleaner but in my honest opinion I found it to be vile.

I'm honestly quite baffled about my shortcoming in appreciating this tobacco blend as so many of you do. Perhaps I'm just allergic. My tastes run the spectrum but not this far off the beaten path. Not for me, even the tin aroma gets me steamed.

Again no offense to those who cherish this blend, you have collectively been so reliant and diligent in your accurate appraisals, I fear I am missing the Crooner gene.

Weird stuff... The cubed burley is clearly high-quality, nutty and very reminiscent of the one used for Barbary Coast (obviously!), but the hot topic clearly lies in the green specks you see littering the blend... Deer Tongue! They provide a lightly vanilla-like taste, but not excessively sweet... more herbal and slightly astringent, I can say. It's not nauseating or too intense, it just provides a musky flavor like taking the one you can feel in the air during a walk in the woods in autumn. This blend burns slowly and even, producing a strong, penetrating and characteristic room note: whether you like this smell or not depends on your personal bias (the same applies to the taste, of course). It's actually a nice tobacco, although the deer tongue taste can grow tiresome after a while... Myself, I would smoke it more frequently if I didn't fear about the taste lingering in my pipes.

I usually give a tobacco more than one test before writing a review. With Bings' blend (Did he really smoke something like this?) I don't have the guts for a rematch! The tobacco might be great but the Deer tongue is pretty bad! By the way, if you are a glutton for punishment and have to see what Bing was up to, my advise is smoke it in something disposable!

The other reviews give a pretty good idea about this blend. I liked the deer tongue flavoring and did not find it smelling in the pouch or after being lit as odd. Was this flavoring used in other blends? I wonder because it seems to me not that out of place. It as well as C&D #45 Trinidad burns with little effort. I felt that Trinidad was a better blend and liked it more then this... might be a better blend to try if one wated to experiment with deer tongue.

This one will be easy. My wife hated it! .... Old Albert, a co-worker of mine (he'll smoke anything) couldn't take the tongue either. He tried picking out the green specks but that didn't help. And wound up starting his fireplace with it. As for me, I really tried to adapt but found that my pubic hairs went straight. ....... ....................................................................................................... I'm dreaming of a Whiiiite Christmasssss ...

This is an interesting blend and worth a try just for the nostalgia of smoking Bings Blend . I've smoked it and may try it again someday , but I'll need to let the memory if it die down a bit . The deer tobgue is an odd flavor and certainly not like anything I had expected . I won't say it's bad , but it sure is different .

Now here is an unusual tobacco: a C&D blend that I dislike. I'm not sure what it is about this blend that totally turns me off - perhaps the burley, of which I'm not a huge fan, or maybe the herb deer tongue that is added. Regardless, I don't plan on smoking much of this in the future, and have already gotten rid of my remaining sample pack. In the pack, this tobacco blend has a distinctive, almost herbal odor, one that I don't normally associate with tobacco. It is cube cut, light brown in color and very dry, like most C&D blends. Packing is easy ue to the cut, and it burn very easily, due no doubt to its dry condition. This is one of the only tobaccos that I was not able to finish a bowl of, so I can only comment on the first two thirds or so. The first (and only) real flavor I get from this blend on lighting is harsh; the closest thing I can think to compare it to is burning grass or leaves, though the blend by no means has their pleasant properties. It burns like tinder, sending out clouds of dry, harsh, tasteless smoke and tending to bite the mouth easily. I can't really tell if I'm tasting the deer tongue or the burley, but whatever it is, I'm not enjoying it. I finally stop partway through the bowl, unable to force myself to continue. I do not like this blend (as if you couldn't tell!), but perhaps this is just my own weird tastes; you may love it, as I've heard some people do. As far as I'm concerned, however, Bing can keep it.